The FIA has levied a penalty of €30,000 on 8-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Ogier for his candid opinions about the sport’s governing body. The 40-year-old driver then adopted Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen‘s style of protest, who attracted a penalty recently for dropping the F-bomb during the Singapore GP weekend.
The FIA swiftly penalized Verstappen after he used a swear word directed at his car during a pre-race press conference. This action followed FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s recent call for Formula 1 drivers to refrain from using profanity on team radio during live broadcasts.
The sport’s governing body imposed a one-day public service penalty, which left the Dutchman visibly frustrated. On Saturday, he revealed his discontent by offering brief responses to media questions, a subtle form of protest that quickly garnered significant attention.
After the FIA’s post-qualifying session, the three-time world champion staged an impromptu media gathering in the paddock as a form of protest against the governing body’s stance. His actions gained support from fellow competitors, including seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who encouraged Verstappen to disregard the FIA’s punishment.
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In Ogier’s situation, the French driver was targeted despite the non-usage of profanity. He criticized the sport for failing to address the short gaps between cars in a rally stage, which compromised his visibility on the opening stage in Greece. He told the media:
“It is annoying to see that the sport never learns.
“We ask. We know that we are going to have dust. There is hanging dust. They say no. What do you have in your head? Nothing. It’s crazy.”
As a result of his statement, Ogier was struck with a suspended fine of €30,000 for breaching Article 12.2.1.f of the FIA International Sporting Code, which states that “any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA, its bodies, its members or its executive officers, and more generally on the interest of motor sport and on the values defended by the FIA.”
Following the incident, Ogier then kept his media interactions to a minimum and accused the FIA of forcing the drivers to shut their mouths. However, in a live WRC coverage of the rally in Chile, the Toyota Gazoo driver said:
“You realise that I didn’t really want to talk today, we’ve been told that we shouldn’t at the moment.
“It is not a fantastic reaction to do what I do and it is not personal against [the media] and for the fans I am sorry about it but we have very little tools we can use.
“Today I don’t feel like I want to talk and I am sorry for all the people that deserve better than that.
“But we have been told by the top of the FIA to shut our mouths, so it is a bit sad.”
Hinting at Verstappen’s penalty in F1, he added:
“It is not only in rally at the moment, but let’s see what the future brings.”